US1350677A

US1350677A - Rail-anchor

Info

Publication number: US1350677A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1920-08-24
Anticipated expiration: 1937-08-24

Description

H H. sPo'NENauRG. RAIL ANCHOR.

0N FILED OCT. 3,1919.

Patented Aug. 24, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

Patented'Aug. 24, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET-Z.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HIRAM H. SPONNBURG, 0F GURNEE, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR, BY IVIESNE ASSIGNMENTS,

i Y i TO OTTO R. BARNETT, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

RAIL-incirca Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Aug, 24, 1920,

Application filed October 3, 1919. Serial No. 328,254.

To all whom t may concern.' l

Be it known that I, HIRAM I-l. SroNnN- BURG, a citizen of the United States, residing at Gurnee, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rail-Anchors, of which theI following is a specification.

My invention relates to a rail anchor device for resisting the tendency of railroad rails to creep longitudinally .and has for its primary object to provide a novel one-piece anchor device which will maintain a rm grip on the rail, which may be readily applied to rails having base flanges of diEerent widths or contours, and which may be manufactured at a minimum cost.

' A more specific object of theinvention is to provide a novel one-piece devicewhich may be made from a at strip of spring metal by bending one end of theJ str ip to form a loop which will yield to permit the application of the device to rails having base angesof different widths, the loop being formedso as to provide anoverhang which extends. over the upper edge of the base. flange in a manner to'hold the body of. the device firmly. against the under surface of the rail base.

.The invention has for further objects such other normal construction relating to def vicesof the above character aswill be hereinafter described and claimed for accomplishing the above mentioned objects and such other incidental objects as may be seen from the following specification.

The invention is. illustrated in certain ing drawings, wherein.-

Figure 1 is a'plan view of a device conf structed in accordance `with my invention applied to thebase vflange of a railroad rail; Fig. 2 is a` view in perspective yof the rail anchor device;

Fig. 3 is a front view lof tbeidevice shown in Fig. 1 illustrating the manner in which the device is applied to the base flange of a rail;

Figj is a view similar lto Fig. 1 illustratingla modified form of the device;

`Fig. 5 is a view in perspective showing the device illustrated in Fig. 1, applied tn the base flange of a rail in its operative position; and v f Fig. 6 is a vertical section taken on line 6 6 of Fig. 4l.

Like characters of reference designate like parts in the several figures of the drawings.`

Referringfirst to Figs. 1 to 4, inclusive of the drawings; 10 designates a railroad rail and 11 one of the cross ties on which the rail is supported. The rail anchor shown in these figures is preferably made up from a piece of flat spring metal by bending one end of the metal blank upwardly and inwardly to provide a jaw 12 having a lip 13 which fits over one edge ofthe rail base. The other end of the blank is bent upwardly from the body portion to form a loop 14C, the downwardly extending portion 15 of which is adapted to bear-against the opposite edge of the rail base when the device is in operative position. The lower edge of the free endof the' loop 111 is preferably cut away so as to provide a relatively narrow tongue 16 which extends through an opening 17 f in the body 18 of the blank. The end of this lip is then bent upwardly against the under surface of the body as shown at 19. The device is formed with a downwardly `extending flange 20 adjacent the loop 14e which bears against the tie. The jaw end 12 of the device preferably stands a short distance away from the tie so as to permit a slight skewing action of the device, for example, to permit the jaw end 12 to move toward the tie, when the rail creeps longitudinally in a direction toward the tie. rlhe `front edge of the free endr15 of the loopglL' and the rear edge of the jaw 12 are given a slight set inwardly to provide knifeedges2122 respectively, which will take a biting ,hold on the rail to increase its grip thereon. rljhese knife-edges will automatically t'ake a; biting hold on the rail when the anchor is skewed by the longitudinal movement of the rail or they'may, if desired, be embeddedl into the edge of the rail base when the device is applied.

' The distance between the jaw 12 and inner face 15 of the loop 14 is normally less than the width of the rail base to which the device is intended to be applied so that the loop portion will be strained when the device is applied to the rail. lhen the device is in its operative position, the inner face oil the loop 14; constitutes a rail base engaging jaw. This portion of the loop being strained in application of the device to the rail stands at an angle with relation to the vertical edges of the rail base so as to provide an overhang which extends over the upper edge or' the rail base. The spring pressure ont this portion ot the loop exerted against the edge of the rail, in addition to providing a firm frictional grip oit the device on the base, adapted to resist the creeping pressure of the rail, also holds the body portion of the device up against the under surface of the rail base and minimizes the rocking action of the anchor. Such rocking action often results from the corner of the tie being rounded so that the tie abutting flange does not properly engage the tie, that is, for example, as when the lower edge only or the said flange bears against the tie. lhen applying the device to a rail, the aw 12 is litted over one edge of the base .flange and the other end of the device is forced on to the opposite edge of the rail, the device being made of spring metal will l'lex to substantially the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3, during the application orc the device. A crow-bar or other suitable device may then be positioned under the loop end of the anchor and this end raised to the full line position. Then raising the anchor the free end 15 of the loop will yield to permit the loop to spring over the edge of the rail base as shown in full lines.

1n Figs. 4, 5 and G I have shown a modiiication in which the loop end :25 of the anchor instead of being bent upwardly from the body 26 as shown in the preceding iigures is bent downwardly as indicated at 27 so that the lower portion of the loop will bear against the tie. The free end 2S or' the loop frictionally engages the edge of the rail base and taires a biting hold thereon in the same manner as the form of anchor shown in Figs. 1V to 3 inclusive. .Vith the construction shown in this modification it is possible to dispense` with the customary downwardly bent flange providing the Atie abutment. rlhe modified construction is otherwise substantially the same as that disclosed in the previous figures and has been given corresponding reference characters.

1 claim:

1. A rail anchor comprising a rail base embracing member formed at one end with a aw for engaging one edge oi" the rail base and at the other end with upwardly ex` tending loop providing a aw for engaging the opposite edge of the rail base; said loop being adapted to yield to permit the application of the device to the rail and exerts a spring pressure against the vertical edge of the rail when the device is applied to its operative position.

2. A rail anchor comprising a rail base embracing member formed at one end with a jaw for engaging one edge of the rail base and at the other end with an upwardly extending loop providing a jaw for engaging the opposite edge ofthe rail' base; said" loop being strained during'the application of the device to the rail so as to exert a spring pressure against the vertical edge of the rail base and projects over the upper edge of the rail base when the device is in its applied position.

3. A rail anchor comprising a rail base embracing member formed at one end withY a jaw for engaging one edge of the rail base, an upwardly extending loop providing a jaw for engaging the opposite edge of the base, and a tie abutting vllange; said loop being adapted to yield to permit the application of the device to the rail and exerts a spring pressure against the. vertical edge of the rail whenin its operative position.

l. A rail anchor comprising a rail base embracing member formed atone end with a jaw which fits over one edge of the rail base and at the other end with a loop, the free end of which Yextends downwardly and engages the vertical surface of the opposite edge of the rail .base with spring pressure; the said loop being adapted to yield toV permit the application of the device to therail and normally projects over the edge of the rail base to maintain the device in its applied position.V

5. A rail anchor comprising a rail base embracing member formed at one end with a jaw which fits over one edge of the rail base and normally stands out of contact withthe tie and is formed at the other end with a loop the free end of which extends downwardly and engages the vertical surface of the opposite edge of the rail base with spring pressure; the said loop being adapted to yieldyto permit the application of the device to the rail and normally pr0- jects over theedge of the rail base to maintain the device in its applied position;

6. A rail anchor made from'a flat piece of spring metal, the ilatside of which bears against the under surface of the rail base, formedkat one end with a jaw which engages one edge of the rail base and at the other with a loop which engages the opposite edge of the rail base and normally overhangs the edge with which it engages; the body of said anchor being `formedv with'a slot-and the lower portion of the free` end of said loop being formed with a foot which extends through said slot and engages the under surface of said body.`

7. A rail anchor comprising a rail base embracing member formed at one end with a jaw which fits over one edge of the rail base and at the other end Ywith a loop the free end of which extends downwardly and engages the vertical surface of the opposite edge oi the rail; the device being formed with a ltie abutting foot adjacent one end thereof so that the creeping pressure of the rail will tend to skew the anchor to increase its grip on the rail.

8. A rail anchor comprising a rail base embracing member formed at one end with a jaw which fits over one edge of the rail base and at the other end with a loop the free end of which extends downwardly and engages the vertical surface of the opposite edge of the rail; the edges of said loop and jaw being formed with proj ectionsv adapted to be embedded in the rail base.

9. A rail anchor comprising a rail base embracing member formed at one end with a jaw which its over one edge of the rail base and at the other end with a loop the free end of which extends downwardly and engages the Vertical surface of the opposite edge of the rail; the device being formed with a tie abutting foot adjacent one end thereof so that the creeping pressure of the rail will tend to skew the anchor to increase its grip on the rail and the edges of the said jaw and free end of said loop being formed with sharp edges adapted to take a biting hold on the rail.`

HIRAM H. SPONENBURG.